Barbie Makes First Hijab-Wearing Doll Based on Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad

A Barbie doll based on Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad will be the first of the toy line to wear a hijab, according to USA Today.

Muhammad said that, during her childhood in New Jersey, she would make hijabs out of tissues to put on the heads of her Barbie dolls.

"When I think about my own journey, me being a Muslim girl involved in the sport of fencing, there were people who made me feel like I didn't belong. For all those people who didn't believe in me, this Barbie doll is for you," Muhammad said in a speech at Glamour's Women of the Year summit, where the doll was unveiled, USA Today reported.

The Olympic fencer was the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab, an Islamic head scarf, during competition. At the Rio de Janeiro events in 2016, she won a bronze medal along with her teammates in the women's team sabre competition, the report said.

"Today, I'm proud to know that little girls who wear hijab and, just as powerfully, those who don't, can play with a Barbie who chooses to wear a headscarf. She's a Barbie who is strong enough to wield a giant sabre and dedicated enough to spend years working her way to an Olympic medal," Muhammad said in the USA Today report.

The doll will be part of Barbie's "Shero" line, which includes Barbies based on singer Trisha Yearwood, gymnast Gabby Douglas, and ballet dancer Misty Copeland. The dolls will be available in 2018, USA Today's report said.

The Barbie makers hope that the doll inspires girls like the real-life fencer, said Sejai Shah Miller, Barbie's vice president of global marketing. "Barbie is celebrating Ibtihaj not only for her accolades as an Olympian, but for embracing what makes her stand out. Ibtihaj is an inspiration for countless girls who never saw themselves represented, and by honoring her story, we hope this doll reminds them that they can do anything," Miller said, according to USA Today.

The medalist sent a tweet about her Barbie doll, calling it a "dream come true."